Welcome to the blog for Chikarma Diving. Here you will great articles about scuba diving in Malta & Gozo including Malta dive sites, Gozo dive sites, Malta dive centres and Gozo dive centres. You will find great articles about all topics in relation to scuba diving.

Sunday, 25 March 2012

Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya, with Gibraltar 1,755 km (1,091 mi) to the west and Alexandria 1,508 km (937 mi) to the east. Malta covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi) in land area, making it one of the world's smallest states. It is also one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. The de facto capital city of Malta is Valletta; the largest town, Birkirkara. The main island comprises many towns, which together form one Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with a population of 368,250 according to Eurostat. The country has two official languages, Maltese (considered the national language) and English. Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004. Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreementand in 2008 it became part of the eurozone. Malta has a long Christian legacy and is an Apostolic see. According to the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, St. Paul was shipwrecked on "Melite", as the Greeks called the island, and ministered there. Catholicism is the official religion in Malta as declared by the Maltese constitution. Malta is internationally renowned as a tourist destination, with numerous recreational areas and historical monuments, including nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most prominently the Megalithic Temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.

Facts About Malta & Maltese Islands/ Gozo & Comino

Malta is a traveller-friendly country that provides holidays options for people on all budgets, and allows for more than just warm-weather, beach-going vacations – there’s a good deal of history, culture and tradition to explore too, so this island is a great choice if you are thinking of a long weekend here in the low season which could constitute a cheap and fun city break or a 2 week action packed vacation. The country is so small you could cover most of the main highlights in just a few days although in two weeks you could really learn the best of what is on offer in the Maltese Islands to include Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta has a typically Mediterranean climate, with mild winters, hot, dry summers and some 300 days of sunshine which is always welcome. For this reasons Malta is considered an all year round destination. It is also why Malta is so popular with the rest of Europe due to its easy accessibility and access to cheap flights. One can find affordable flights and package deals at any time of year. There aren’t too many alternatives to Malta if you want to stay within Europe and still be sunbathing in November! Winters are not at all unpleasant here, with an average of six hours of sunshine daily in January and daytime temperatures around 16ºC. Sea temperatures around the islands range from 15ºC in midwinter, to a balmy 25ºC in August and September.

The peak season for travel to Malta is June to September, when many resort hotels are booked solid. However, daytime temperatures in July and August can reach more than 35ºC – uncomfortably hot – and it’s tough to find your own patch of sand or rock at any beach. Weather-wise, the best time to visit is spring (April to June) and autumn (September and October), though September still counts as high season in many hotels and the pleasant weather can sometimes be interrupted by a hot and humid wind, or rainfall. For water-babies, the sea temperature is considerably warmer in autumn than in spring. The availability of luxury self-catering apartments to rent is a good option for accommodation and is becoming more popular with tourists who want to be in control.

Average Temperature in Malta - Weather

In November and December daytime temperatures range from 13ºC to 19ºC and a fair amount of sunshine between spells of rain showers (the total annual rainfall is low, at around 580mm, and it falls mainly between September and February). January and February are the coldest months, when a strong northeasterly wind (the grigal) makes conditions more unpleasant. Winds are a feature of Malta’s weather. The stiff sea breeze is cooling in summer, but in winter the grigal can whip up the waves that pound across the harbour walls and occasionally disrupt the ferry service to Gozo. In spring and autumn the southeasterly xlokk (sirocco) sometimes blows in from North Africa, bringing humid and occasionally foggy conditions.

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

P29 Patrol Boat was a Kondor I Class former Minesweeper and Patrol Boat scuttled in August 2007 off Ċirkewwa. Built by Peenewerft shipyard as a Minesweeper for the East German Navy under the name Boltenhagen. She served with the Armed Forces of Malta as an offshore patrol boat for almost 10 years. The P29 minesweeper patrol boat is Malta's latest wreck. The Kondor Class minesweeper was orginally built for the German navy but later used by the Armed forces of Malta as a patrol boat. The sinking of the Patrol boat as a diving attraction was arranged by the Malta Marine Foundation and sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority. A sister ship is due to be sunk later off Comino. The P29 was sank quite some distance from shore but can be dived by the fit. It is much more easy to dive this wreck by boat and it has been a huge hit with our diving clients. The wreck is around 52 metres long and hit the bottom end on before lying flat at 37 metres.

On 15 April 2012 Malta will be celebrating the award of the George Cross as a result of the heroism and devotion of the island to the cause. The Government will be running numerous events around the island to enable the people of Malta & Gozo to celebrate in style and remember a proud moment in Malta's history. We will post more on the planned events shortly so keep an eye on this blog. Here is a little history about Malta and the George Cross.

Malta George Cross

15th April 1942, King George VI announced to the nation of Malta the award of the George Cross to the nation. His words were: "To honour the brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history."

These words were heard on the 15th of April of this year in a re-enactment organised by the Malta Tourism Authority to commemorate the 66th anniversary since this bestowment of the George Cross in St. George's Square.

The event covered the years from the 10th June 1939 till 13th September 1932. The introduction was given by Guzè Aquilina's poem Malta Invicta which is an attribute to the first years of the war. An account of the salient periods of the war was given while sound effects helped create an ambience of the era.

The culmination of the activity was the handing of the George Cross by Lord Gort, Governor of Malta to Chief Justice George Borg which took place on Sunday 13th September 1942. The original toga that was worn by the Chief Justice was loaned by the family for yesterday's one-off commemorative and symbolic re-enactment that depicted one of the most memorable and triumphant moments in wartime Malta.

The George Cross was later accompanied to the Palace Armoury for display to the public.

I also own and run a scuba diving blog covering all topics in relation to scuba diving across the world including articles on the best dive sites in Malta & Gozo and advice on PADI dive tables and many more useful blog posts. I like to write articles on scuba diving in my own time and pass on my experiences to the scuba diving world. Other blog posts in relation to Malta & Gozo can be found in our general travel blog.

If you have any questions in relation to Malta or Gozo or anything scuba diving related you can email me direct on info@chikarmaworld.com. I would be happy to assist where I can.